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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. roll — a cake
  5. pitch — completely
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. court — for sport
  8. bulb — for light
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. pass — a permit
  13. roll — a list
  14. bulb — for light
  15. date — the fruit
  16. court — of law
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. court — of a king
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. jam — a tight spot

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com